Here Goes
by Angel of Music lover
Summary: Set right after La Vie Boheme... includes a pretty blonde, Roger scheming, and Mark being forced to sit next to a complete stranger. MarkOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! This is my first time writing a fanfic for RENT so constructive criticism is welcome! Okay… to set this up a little bit… well it's a little complicated. If you watch the movie you might notice in La Vie Boehm there's a blonde woman wearing a cream shirt with blue pants. In my mind (which isn't always the most trustworthy thing) she was totally checking out Mark during the song. Now I always thought that Mark needed a girl so I began to hatch a plot. For now this is only a one shot but if you people think that this might go anywhere please tell me and I might continue it. This takes place right after the final La Vie Boehm part where the movie just fades out… hehe… **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rent… though I kinda own the girl in this story. At least I own her dialogue and backstory and such. **

Mark ducked as an overly enthusiastic (and much too drunk in Mark's opinion) waved his arms around wildly, nearly knocking Mark's glasses over.

"I didn't expect that this would happen," Mark muttered softly so no one actually heard him and he fought his way over to his table. Mark is what you could call… a bit of a nerdy looking guy. He was scrawny, pale, had glasses that Mark constantly had to adjust, and hid behind his camera. Not to mention the interesting scarf that he always wore no matter what. Roger still teases him about the time that Mark had even worn the scarf during an unusually hot summer day. Mark saw his best friend and Mimi talking animatedly and flirting heavily and he smiled. He was happy that Roger had finally let go a little and opened up to Mimi. She was a nice girl, perfect for Roger.

"Hey Marky!" Maureen called over the shouts and drunken renditions of La Vie Boehm. "Come on over here and sit your skinny butt down!" she giggled and Joanne grabbed the still half full beer bottle from her girlfriend's hands. "Pookie… I wasn't quite finished with that!" Mark heard Maureen whine and he smiled. Same old Maureen. Mark took a seat next to Roger and tried to ignore the giggles and frequent kisses coming from his direction.

"So what do we do now?" Collins asked and watched the other Bohemians for an answer. Roger was more than willing to answer as he saw a waiter making his way nervously towards their table.

"Maybe you forgot that we actually ordered food and are able to pay for it my friend," he laughed. "I don't know about you but I haven't had a decent meal for a long time and I'm not gonna pass this up!" he shouted and slapped his palms on the table to emphasize his point.

"Hear, hear!" Mark declared and raised his fist in the air. Angel laughed and nodded in agreement.

"I for one would not want to see my money wasted," she said jokingly and glared over at Collins for even thinking about leaving already. Collins waved his hands up in defense as though to shield himself from Angel's wrath.

"You two are too cute!" Maureen giggled over the beer bottle that she had somehow recovered from Joanne. Joanne pretended not to notice that her girlfriend was finishing off her fifth bottle of beer and talked to the young man next to her.

"Yeah and you're just a little ball of fuzz when you're drunk Maureen!" Roger shouted and Maureen giggled, unaware that he had just insulted her. "Look at her giggle!" Roger laughed, reaching across the table to pinch one of her cheeks. It was at that moment that Roger noticed a cute blonde staring and Mark and blushing. He looked over at his friend who seemed oblivious to the girl sitting across from him.

"Excuse me Roger… but you still have a freaking death grip on my face!" Maureen protested and Roger immediately jumped away. Mimi smirked and pulled Roger back into his seat.

"Sorry about that… little Roger sometimes needs help functioning," Mimi said sarcastically to Maureen and pet Roger's hair mockingly.

"Har, har…" Roger droned while rolling his eyes at his new girlfriend. Suddenly a thought came to him and he turned to Mark. "Hey Mark… what do you say to taking that seat next to the blonde chick over there… that way Mimi and I don't have to whack Collins each time we're all over each other!" Mimi smacked her boyfriend on the shoulder but he sent her a meaningful look to try and explain.

"Please Mark… move! I don't think I can stand having my hat being knocked off again!" Collins cried and Mark laughed.

"Sure… I suppose if it will spare Collins being mentally and emotionally scarred for the rest of his life I can move over for you two," Mark grinned and got up so Roger could take his seat. The blonde girl flushed dark pink when she saw that Mark was coming her way and nervously flattened her hair.

"Okay, I've got the food," the waiter gasped as he finally made it to their table, sending them rather dark looks. He quickly handed out the appropriate foods and left as soon as possible so that he could get to the other tables too.

"Well he's wound up a bit tight!" the blonde woman laughed and began to eat her food… it looked like spaghetti to Mark but he didn't really pay attention.

"I'll say," Mark agreed and smiled in her direction. She flushed even darker and hid her face behind a blonde sheet of hair. "So… I don't think I've met you before miss… what's your name?" Mark asked in a stab at conversation. The woman smiled at him and Mark noticed it was a very nice smile. Very warm and inviting and it made him drop his normal guard around women.

"Oh… I live down on Avenue C… I'm here living with my sister. My name's Rebecca but everyone just usually calls me Becca," she explained meekly and Mark smiled at her.

"Well that's cool… Alphabet City isn't exactly the best place to live all the time but it's enough," Mark responded and Rebecca laughed a bit. "So what brings you to live with your sister Rebecca?" Mark asked again. For some reason he wanted to keep the conversation going with this woman. "Oh I'm Mark," he added before Rebecca could reply.

"Well Mark… I'm here trying to get out of a bad relationship. My sister was the only one who was able to take me so here I am," she sad with a sort of sad smile.

"Ah," Mark said, nodding his head. "Bad relationships… I've had my fair share of those. Probably not the kind you've been putting up with but I just recently had a weird one. My last girlfriend broke up with me to be with a lawyer named Joanne," he explained in an attempt to bring her brilliant smile back again.

"Joanne?" she asked and snorted a bit into her spaghetti. "How does it feel to have drove your girlfriend to be gay?" she laughed and Mark smiled back. The jokes were easier to take now that he had let go of Maureen.

"Telling her our story pookie?" Maureen called over and Rebecca looked horrified. Blush slowly crept back into her cheeks until her face looked like it was on fire.

"Oh that's your old girlfriend?" she asked embarrassedly. When Mark nodded she flushed even deeper. "I take it the woman next to her is Joanne?" she asked again quietly and Mark laughed at the flush in her cheeks.

"Don't worry about it… Maureen doesn't care and Joanne thinks it's rather funny," Mark said reassuringly and Rebecca smiled back at him.

"As long as I didn't offend anyone…" she trailed off and Mark waved it away.

"Don't worry about it… honestly!" Mark assured her and her blushing lessened. Meanwhile, Roger was having quite a field day.

………………….

"Oh… so that's why you made him move!" Mimi whispered and glanced over at Mark and Rebecca. Roger nodded proudly and ran a hand through his hair.

"I never knew I was such a matchmaker!" he laughed and snuck another glance at his friend's direction. Mark was laughing and seemed to be having an animated conversation with Rebecca.

"Well I'm glad that you are Mr. Davis…" Mimi said proudly and looked up at Roger. "He looks so pale and lonely all the time… he needs someone that will make him happy," she said distantly and looked back over at the pair.

"Well actually the pale part comes from him being partially albino," Roger said with a straight face. Mimi whacked his arm _hard_, leaving him whimpering a little. "That hurt Mimi…" he pouted and rubbed his shoulder painfully. She rolled her eyes at him but a smile played at her lips.

"You deserve it after insulting your best friend," she scolded. Roger frowned at her curiously.

"You know… I'm almost jealous at how much you care about Mark," he said with a real jealous hint in his voice. Mimi laughed at him and gave him a quick kiss.

"Oh stop it… we've only been together for about ten minutes and you're already a jealous guard dog," she teased and Roger grinned at her.

………………

"So what do you do for a living?" Rebecca asked while taking a sip of wine from her cup. Mark fidgeted a little bit but told her the truth. He figured there was no point in lying because he probably wouldn't see her again after this.

"Well I'm working on a documentary at the moment… I don't really have any professional job though," he mumbled and Rebecca looked at him worriedly.

"How do you eat?" she asked in genuine concern. "My sister barely manages to bring dinner home with her steady job!" Mark grinned a little in a carefree sort of way.

"Oh you know… we get money here and there… we pretty much live off of stale Capn' Crunch," he said but when her frown didn't go away he tried a different tactic. "Listen, we don't starve. You really don't have to worry about me. I'm practically a stranger," he reassured and she smiled a bit.

"You're right… I'm sure you get by fine," she said with a smile. Now Mark decided to ask her a personal question.

"So… what do you plan on doing?" At the confused look on her face he quickly gave her something to work with. "Do you plan on getting your own apartment? Or do you want to move to a different city when you gather your feet again?" he encouraged and a look of realization came across her face.

"Oh… well I hope to try and find a good job and then I'll probably move out of my sister's place. She insists that I can stay with her but I could never do that," she explained. "As for staying in Alphabet City or not… I might. I mean, it's an interesting place to live and I don't really want to go back to the way I'm used to living." Mark looked at her as though prodding her for more information and she willingly gave it. She figured, like Mark did, that she wouldn't ever see this guy again so she might as well tell the truth. "You know… perfect little house with servants and plenty of money to go around. Arrogant jerks that you're expected to marry and live in a stuffy little house with him and have arrogant little children," she explained bitterly. Mark nodded in agreement.

"I'm totally with you on that one… I grew up in Scarsdale and I would never go back there again. It's too…" Mark thought for a moment for the perfect word to describe it, "Perfect. It's just too nice and organized. I can't live that way." Rebecca nodded and took another swig of wine.

"You're the only one besides my sister who really gets that. Everyone else just looks at me like I'm crazy to want to give that up," she said sourly and Mark grinned.

"Talk to any Bohemian in this city and they'll thank you profusely for getting rid of that lifestyle," he laughed and Rebecca laughed with him. Both felt as though the finally met someone that really understood what they were about.

…………………

"Come on Mark… we better be heading home," Roger called about an hour later and Mark suddenly remembered that everyone else was there with them.

"Right, let's go," he replied and turned back to Rebecca. "Well it's been great meeting and talking with you," he said fondly and she smiled back at him.

"You're a great guy Mark… I really enjoyed talking to you," she responded. Something in her blue eyes told Mark that he shouldn't leave. He shook the feeling off though and got out of his chair. About a few feet away from the restaurant though Mark had a sudden moment of boldness. This didn't happen that often for Mark but when it did he meant business.

"Hey… I think I left something back at The Life. I'll catch up with you guys," Mark explained and dashed off before either could respond. Mark ran back to the entrance of The Life and took a moment to catch his breath.

"_You would think all these years of bike riding would make me fit,"_ Mark thought to himself bitterly. Once he stopped panting a few moments later he reached to pull open the door only to have it being pushed into him. The impact knocked him to the ground and for a brief moment he was stunned.

"Oh my god… are you okay Mark?" a concerned voice asked and Mark picked up his glasses to see who it was. Once his sight adjusted back to normal he saw none other than Rebecca kneeling by him looking scared out of her mind.

"Oh I'm fine… I've had worse," Mark laughed and then realized why he dashed back to the Life in the first place. "Well it's a good thing I ran into you… I was just on my way back to give you something," Mark explained. Rebecca looked a little hopeful but tried to hide it.

"And what was that?" she asked curiously and her breath involuntarily quickened. Mark grinned at her and handed her a piece of paper.

"My phone number… I was wondering if you would like to meet here some time," he said as casually as he could but couldn't contain the wide grin spreading across his face. Rebecca choked back a squeal and instead nodded quickly.

"Yeah… yeah that would be great!" she cried happily and quickly took the piece of paper Mark offered her.

"Well I better catch up with my roommate… give me a call if you're available tomorrow!" he said as he picked himself up off the ground. "I'm always at home so anytime is fine," he explained quickly. Rebecca nodded and thanked him profusely. Mark jogged off to find Roger with a huge grin across his face. Rebecca however stayed rooted to the spot and stared after Mark, the adorable, goofy, scrawny, dorky, loveable young man that she had already fallen in love with.

**A/N: Okay… good? Bad? Suggestions? I welcome all sorts of opinions so be sure to share them with me! I hope you liked it… I had fun writing it so that's good. Thank you for reading! **


	2. Woe is Mark

**A/N: Okay… even though I called this a oneshot I will now make it a short story… or a long one… whatever works… lol! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Rent… though the idea of owning Roger is rather tempting. **

"Did you get what you needed Mark?" Mimi asked curiously while Roger had this big grin on his face. Mark simply nodded and tried to ignore that Roger's smile just reached the Cheshire Cat level.

"What exactly was it that you left Marky?" Roger asked and Mark just shrugged.

"I thought I left a camera lens at my seat but it was really with me the whole time," Mark lied quickly. He looked up at Roger and realized that his friend knew the whole time. "Oh you're such a loser Roger," he muttered while Roger let out a bark of laughter. Mimi let out a giggle which she tried to restrain… poorly.

"Well you're lucky that your loser friend is observant… otherwise that cute chick wouldn't have your phone number right now!" Roger teased and gave Mark's scarf a little pull. Mark grumbled but smiled nonetheless. "Why do you still wear this thing anyway Mark? It's all worn and… holey… and faded!" Roger asked, deciding wise to change the subject. Mark was a sensitive soul… that's why he didn't bring out the heavy Maureen jokes until just recently.

"I wore it because you made it for me," Mark said simply and Roger paled. Now it was Mimi's turn to let out a high peel of laughter.

"What? Mr. Tough Guy Davis made a scarf for Mark?" she exclaimed while eyeing Roger in amazement.

"Well… really it was your sister's idea Mark…" Roger mumbled. "She thought it would be cool if I could make something for you… at the time I was dating her…" Roger grinned and Mark gave him a shove.

"Oh god don't remind me," Mark moaned and made puking noises. This caused Roger to grin and Mimi to laugh again.

"Oh don't worry Martha… I mean Roger," Mimi teased while ruffling his hair. "I find it to be sexy." Roger laughed and gave his girlfriend a kiss… sparking more gagging noises from Mark.

"So when is this chick supposed to call you?" Roger asked as he finally pulled away from Mimi. Mark shrugged as if it didn't matter.

"I told her anytime was fine… I mean she just moved here and I don't want to conflict with her schedule or anything. And her name is Rebecca." Mark explained and Roger just shook his head.

"This is the reason why you only had two dates during high school man…" he taunted but left Mark alone after that. After all… Mark did do the laundry every Saturday.

……………………………..

But Becca didn't call Mark the next day, nor the day after that. Mark waited patiently by in the loft for weeks but never did the phone ring… except for the occasional Mom and Dad calls. Mark started to get depressed and Roger was doing anything he could to cheer him up.

"Hey Mark… I hear they're having a lens cap sale down at Merv's Electronics' Shop… you wanna go?" Roger asked casually when he saw that Mark was still sitting on the couch… in the same spot he had been the night before.

"No thanks Roger…" Mark replied and continued to stare off into space. Roger however was startled… this stuff usually left Mark jumping around the loft like a five year old on a sugar rush.

"But I thought you were into that sort of stuff Mark!" Roger protested and looked sadly at his friend. Now he knew how Mark felt after April died. "Come on… you look like me there on the couch!" Roger exclaimed. Mark grunted in response.

"Come on Mark… I'm sure something just came up… she just moved here and everything like you said… don't worry about it okay?" Roger insisted and watched Mark for any signs of life.

"You're probably right Roger… here… let me get my coat and we can go down to Merv's…" Mark responded and Roger grinned. And Mark complained that he didn't have any social skills.

"Alright buddy but we're also gonna go down to the Life for lunch… it's been a few weeks… I'm sure they'll let us back in," Roger heard a laugh come from Mark's room. Within five minutes (it took about three minutes for Mark to get his scarf adjusted correctly) they were out the door.

……………………

"I'm really glad you talked me into going to Merv's and lunch with you Roger," Mark commented as they entered the Life Café. Roger grinned and shoved Mark's head roughly.

"Anything for little Marky poo," Roger cooed and laughed at Mark's expression.

"Stop calling me by Maureen's nicknames!" Mark grumbled. Roger opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by an impatient clearing of the throat. Both turned to see who it was and found an uptight looking waiter.

"How ya doing Frankie?" Roger asked and went as if to give the man a high-five. The man ignored Roger's gesture and instead turned to Mark.

"I figured you would be back. What, after the last display you gave the customers have been crying for an encore," the man snootily said while glaring at the two men. Mark grinned hopefully.

"Well we did actually pay last time," he reasoned with a laugh. The man shrugged, admitting that that was true, but still looked reluctant to let them in.

"Yes you may have been able to pay but do you have any idea how many hours we had to spend…" the man began but was rudely cut off.

"Don't worry, our friends aren't coming with us. It's just the two quiet ones today," Roger explained and Mark nodded in agreement. "Frankie" looked at the two men and finally relented. It was true, compared to the others Roger and Mark were the quieter ones.

"I'm watching you though… if you even move one chair to your table I'm throwing you out," Frank warned and watched closely as the two men picked a table in the back.

"Maybe this time Mark we can behave… don't go singing on any tables," Roger warned and Mark glared. It was true though, if they had any hope of going here again they would have to behave this time. Still, talking about last time made him depressed again because last time was when he met Rebecca. Even though he had talked to her for a couple hours Mark had felt a strong connection to her. It was eating away at him that she never called back.

"Hey, do you have any money on you Roger?" Mark asked suddenly. Roger started and stared at Mark.

"I thought you had the dough!" he exclaimed and Mark rolled his eyes.

"Great… well I guess these waiters can't have it all can they?" Mark said as he watched the waiters move quickly from table to table. Mark was such deep thought that he didn't notice when their waiter showed up at the table.

"What'll it be?" the man asked, clearly annoyed. Roger and Mark grinned as they realized it was the same waiter from the last time they were here.

"Well I'll have a burger and some fries," Roger said quickly and then continued. "Just, no lettuce, onion, or… bun," Roger said and barely contained a smile. The waiter glared at him but wrote down his order. Mark sniggered behind the waiter's back but sobered up once he turned towards him.

"And for you sir," the waiter (who Mark discovered actually had a name… it was Chuck) asked. Mark scanned his menu quickly and decided to go easy on the poor guy.

"I'll just have the vegetable soup with a water," Mark said and handed Chuck his menu. Chuck nodded curtly and left. Roger stared at Mark for a while until he finally spoke.

"Dude… I may have made a weird order but you ordered one of the most expensive lunch items on the menu!" Roger exclaimed and Mark grinned.

"Well I had to do _something _regrettable," he said simply and Roger laughed.

……………………..

"Rebecca… you aren't looking for it _again _are you?" a brunette woman complained. She watched her sister practically lift the sofa to look under it, then throw it back with disgust.

"It has to be here somewhere!" the younger woman insisted and began to search under the coffee table.

"Becca… face it. It's gone… I told you that I probably accidentally threw it out!" her sister exclaimed while watching her sister sadly. Becca had never gotten this worked up over losing a guy's phone number. Never.

"Rachel… not now…" Rebecca snapped and rushed over to the kitchen. There she began to pick up individual pots, pans, and plates and searched them. "I know what I'll do!" the blonde exclaimed after throwing down the last fork. "I'll go looking for him around the city… he has to show up somewhere!" Rachel sighed sadly, watching her dear sister pull her coat on. Becca had been out on the street looking for Mark since the second day she lost the number. Neither knew that she had never found Mark was because he was waiting in the loft for her phone call.

"Becca sweetie…" Rachel began but stopped when Rebecca looked at her. She knew she would never be able to win with that determined look in her sister's eyes. "Okay… I'll come with you… what's the first stop?" Rachel relented while pulling on her own coat and shoes. Rebecca paused for a moment to think.

"The Life…" she muttered and headed out the door. Rachel rolled her eyes, grabbed a wad of dollar bills, and headed after her sister. They had gone to the Life several times those last couple weeks, the waiters even knew their names by now.

"Rebecca, wait up!" Rachel called after her sister. Making her way down the flight of stairs she wondered if this Mark guy was even worth it.

……………….

"Here you guys are," Chuck said simply and set the food down in front of Mark and Roger. With that he was gone. Mark and Roger rolled their eyes and began to eat their lunch. About halfway through they heard the characteristic jingle of the door, a new customer had just entered. Roger looked up to see who had come in and froze.

"Mark…" he muttered and something in the tone of his voice made Mark look up.

"What is it?" Mark asked worriedly… wondering if Roger had food poisoning or something. He quickly followed Roger's gaze and paled as well. "Oh… my… god…" was all he uttered. The girl that had been on his mind for the past two weeks, the one who he had moped over, the girl who had royally denied him, just walked through the front door of the Life Café. Rebecca looked up as she entered and her eyes immediately found Mark's.

"Oh my god… Mark!" she cried and quickly made her way towards him. Rachel turned to look at her sister and received a surprise. The look in Rebecca's eyes told her that this Mark guy was totally worth the weeks and weeks of agony. Rachel could have sworn she saw love in her sister's eyes.

**A/N: Okay… that's where I'm gonna leave you. Sorry this took a while to update but I swear it was actually all finished a few days ago. The only problem was that I didn't really like it so I had to totally rewrite it. Anyway,**


	3. On Phone Numbers and Lysol

**A/N: Okay… I'm baaaaack! Finally… lol! Anyway, I really don't have much to say except read and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Yes… it is I! Jonathon Larson back from the dead! And I am also known as Abraham Lincoln and Captain Jack Sparrow! Sorry what was that? Oh right… sorry… no more sodas for me after noon. They tend to affect my sense of reality. **

There she was… looking a bit disheveled in her old sweat pants and large red t-shirt. It didn't even look as if she had combed her hair yet that morning. Mark stared wordlessly at Rebecca's clear blue eyes and tried not to cry. I guess his "trying not to cry face" comes off as nauseated or something because Becca immediately placed her hand to his forehead.

"Are you okay Mark? You don't look that good," she asked in concern. For a moment Mark thought about how soft and cool her hands were against his forehead. Then he immediately remembered why he was angry with her. Mark angrily brushed her hand away and glared at her.

"I guess I'm a little surprised that you're actually acknowledging me," Mark replied bitterly and Becca backed up a little. Her face showed evident hurt and guilt but at the moment Mark really didn't care. Meanwhile, Roger tried to casually eat a French fry but really… eating fried foods isn't that casual.

"Excuse me? Did you even think that maybe I didn't call you was because something really big happened?" Becca barked and it was Mark's turn to draw back.

"What a pathetic excuse Rebecca! I've been rejected before… I know the signs," Mark lashed out in anger and hurt. Roger's eyebrows shot way up into his wild hair. He had _never _heard his friend talk to _anyone _that way before… not even Benny after he went Anakin Skywalker on them.

"If you don't mind… I'm gonna head to the little rock star's room," Roger muttered and took off like a shot. Rachel was half tempted to visit the bathroom herself but decided to instead stand by her sister.

"So you are the _sweet and charming Mark_ I take it?" Rachel asked, sarcasm dripping from every word. Suddenly she wished she was at home taking another nap before she had to go to work. "The one that Becca has been praising and moaning over because she lost his phone number?" Rachel spat. There was a tense silence after that… neither Mark nor Becca could look straight at each other. Rachel glared between the two younger people and finally gave an exasperated sigh. "Come on Becca… this has clearly been a waste of time," Rachel snapped and began to head towards the exit. Becca started to follow slowly.

"Wait," Mark called out and Rebecca snapped back around. The look of hurt was still plastered on her face but she looked like she would still listen to him. "I'm sorry… it's just that… I am so self conscious about this stuff… ever since middle school actually," Mark explained and hoped that Rebecca would see that he really was sorry. Becca seemed to examine him for a moment, her clear blue eyes piercing into him. Suddenly she reached into her purse and pulled out a small sheet of paper.

"Here… you call me and we'll see what happens," Becca replied sensibly. Mark stared in awe at her and then looked at the paper. Rebecca gave him a semi bright smile and then headed towards the exit with Rachel. Mark stared after them, still standing in the same spot. Much like Becca had when Mark gave her his number.

"So how'd it go man?" Roger asked as he finally came back to their table. Mark's eyes focused from behind his dorky glasses and he smiled.

"I think she might forgive me… it turns out she lost my number…" Mark muttered and pocketed the number safely. Roger raised his eyebrows again but remained silent for once.

"Oh god… I almost forgot… I promised Mimi that I would meet her over at the park so that we can walk home together," Roger exclaimed and began to head towards the door.

"Wait… you guys walk all the way to the park so you can walk back home together?" Mark asked mockingly. Roger stared at him as if it was obvious.

"Well… there's a lot of _walking _to be done," Roger suggested and raised his eyebrows yet again. Mark laughed and followed his friend out. From there Mark would head to the loft for some quiet and Roger would go meet Mimi. Maybe life in Alphabet City could get into a routine after all.

………………………………

"What exactly do you see in that guy anyway?" Rachel stormed as soon as her and Becca walked into their small apartment. Clothes were flung everywhere and hung unceremoniously from the furniture, the lamp shade, the curtains, etc. There were several bags of Doritos in the living area and plates were stacked high in the sink. Not to mention the condition of the bedroom.

"I don't know Rachel… there's something special about him but I don't know what it is," Rebecca replied calmly and evenly. Rachel rolled her eyes, which soon narrowed as she took a good look at the apartment.

"Yeah… whatever…" Rachel muttered, not really listening any more. "He seemed like a real jerk to me," she replied casually as her fingers twitched towards a bottle of Lysol. Rebecca opened her mouth to argue… but quickly changed what she was arguing about once she saw that maniacal gleam in her older sister's eyes.

"Don't go all Captain Clean on me," Rebecca said warningly and her sister halted.

"So you think that because I want to clean up this apartment it means that my old problem is coming back?" Rachel demanded scarily. Rebecca cocked an eyebrow at her sister. Rachel had a history of cleaning things nonstop… it go to such a point that her mother took her to see a psychologist about it. Apparently there was some sort of psychological reason that Rachel was cleaning everything in sight. Of course the doctor chose not to share with the family for confidentiality or some crap like that.

"No… but that look on your face sure does," Becca countered cattily. The two sisters stared down each other for a moment. There was a tense moment… much like the one before a large storm hits.

"Waaaaahhhh!" Rachel screamed, eyes blazing, and dove for the cleaning utensils. Rebecca shouted as well and jumped to try and prevent her sister from reaching the clean smelling items. The two girls crashed painfully into each other and were sent tumbling to the badly carpeted floor. What was that awful smell in the carpet? Somehow Becca managed to pin her sister to the ground and tried to talk reason to her. Or rather… scream reason at her… since her sister was swearing so loudly that Becca had to scream to be heard.

"You don't need the Mr. Clean bottle… you don't need the Lysol!" Becca screamed while she held her sister down. "All you need is yourself… all you need is to calmly clean up the place if you have to! Don't go down this road again!" Rebecca shouted and slowly she felt her sister stop fighting beneath her. She still weakly beat at Becca's sides but that didn't cause any damage. Rebecca loosened up on the pressure and gave her screaming muscles a bit of a break. Now all that could be heard was the heavy panting from both exhausted girls… fighting took so much strength.

"Thank… you…" Rachel panted and motioned for Becca to get off her. Rebecca gladly complied and began to stretch some cramped muscles.

"I'm used to it sis… don't worry," Rebecca breathed and smiled at her sister. The two took a couple minutes to gather their breath before talking again.

"So what were you going to say about this Mark guy?" Rachel asked, trying to change the subject. Rebecca casually flicked some blonde hair out of her eyes and tried to grope at a memory. What _was_ she going to say?

"Oh yeah… I was going to say that he isn't a jerk… he's just terribly insecure," Rebecca defended and took another deep breath. God her ribs ached from that first impact. Rachel smiled awkwardly at her little sister.

"And you've only met this guy once? I think that if I could tell a guy is _that _insecure from meeting him once I would be afraid… very afraid," Rachel teased and ducked a weak punch to the head.

"Wait until you start dating some guy again… you're gonna regret it," Becca laughed. Rachel smiled as well but suddenly looked thoughtful.

"Was that dude there with Mark available? He was pretty cute," Rachel asked only to receive an even weaker shove from Becca.

"Sorry but he has a girlfriend… a dancer from the Cat Scratch," Becca explained. Rachel flinched in mock fear.

"I don't stand chance in hell then do I?" Rachel laughed. Becca shook her head and her eyes laughed with her sister.

………………….

"Hey Mark," Mimi ventured tentatively when she walked into the loft. The last time that she gave a 'Hey Mark' she received a snarl and a cold stare from the man in question. This time however was much better.

"Oh, hey Mimi… you and Roger enjoy your walk?" Mark asked casually. Mimi's eyes narrowed as she inspected Mark's current attitude. True, he was sprawled across the couch again but in a relaxed way, not a tense way. Also his face looked clear and she could have sworn that she saw a hint of sparkle in his eyes.

"Well what happened to you Mark? All of a sudden you're… normal," Mimi asked in surprise. Just yesterday you could call this guy worse than Roger... that is before he met Mimi. "I thought just yesterday you were worse than Roger?" Mimi obviously didn't keep much to herself… of course everyone else was thinking it so why not actually say it?

"Hey! I heard that miss Marquez!" Roger scolded from the doorway. He laughed good naturedly though and gave Mimi a seemingly innocent kiss on the cheek.

"Please consider that you have another person in the room before you go any farther into that Roger," Mark twitched as though he was having an attack from the thought of seeing what happened on these _walks._ Roger and Mimi laughed a bit and then plopped down on either side of Mark.

"So give me the details," Mimi demanded of Mark. Mark turned to look accusingly at Roger.

"Hey I didn't tell her… it _is_ all over your face though," Roger pointed out and Mark scowled at him. Sometimes best friends were big pains… in Roger's case that was all the time.

"Well!" Mimi cried from the other side of Mark and he sighed. I would tell you exactly what he told Mimi but you've already read it all so there would no point in me being redundant. "Oh my gosh Mark! That totally means that she's into you!" Mimi squealed and gave Mark a big hug. Roger cleared his throat loudly and dramatically, which caused Mimi to let go of Mark quickly and angrily.

"Excuse me…" Roger began but stopped when Mimi gave a dramatic sigh.

"You are such a jealous guard dog!" she complained loudly. Roger grinned at her sheepishly.

"But you love this little guard dog don't you?" Roger asked in a voice reserved for very cute babies. You know that whole 'You're so cute… wes you are!' thing. Mimi reached across Mark and smacked Roger… but she grinned nonetheless.

"Dear god… it's like watching a chick flick over and over again!" Mark moaned and buried his face in his hands. "A bad one too!" came his muffled afterthought as he was talking through his clammy hands.

"Alright Mimi! We're in a bad chick flick for the rest of our lives! Yessss!" Roger cried and gave Mimi a high five. Mark shook with hidden laughter but when he showed his face again it was of the utmost seriousness.

"So when should I call her you guys… I don't want to come across too eager," Mark pleaded and looked hopefully at Mimi.

"Well if you want my advice…" Roger began but it ended with Mark shoving an old sock from the floor into his mouth. The last time he took girl advice from Roger he ended up getting hooked up with a woman in leather and who was waaaaaaaay too fast for Mark. And another time he was dating this perfectly sweet girl… but one bad tip from Roger and Mark had a cold coffee dumped on his head and a red slap mark across his face. He would much rather trust Mimi with this.

"Well… most women like it when a man doesn't come across all dweeby and excited," Mimi explained carefully. Mark leaned forward to hear more. "I would say that you should call her… the day after tomorrow… probably the afternoon," Mimi concluded confidently.

"Thanks Mimi…" Mark said appreciatively. Finally Mark noticed Roger's grunts of protest from behind him and carefully wedged the sock out from his mouth. However when Roger opened his mouth to speak again it was Mimi's turn to shove a wet towel from only god knows where into her beloved's gaping mouth.

**A/N: I hope you liked it! I would really appreciate a review… any review would be nice… thanks! **


	4. Fungus, Collins, Maureen, Phone Call

**A/N: Yeah, I know it's been a while. Sorry about that but school started for me and I'm trying to adjust to that now. Anyway, please enjoy this next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own RENT or anything associated with it. **

"Done washing your mouth Roger?" Mimi called down the hallway that led to the bathroom. There was a gurgled response, the sound of water hitting the sink, and the slamming of a cup. Roger then walked out of the bathroom scrubbing his mouth with a small hand towel.

"Well excuse me if I'm trying to get off whatever the hell it was that was on that towel Mimi," Roger muttered and glared at his girlfriend. Mimi had a sheepish look on her face and gave a small smile.

"How was I supposed to know that you would scream when you felt the fungus on your tongue?" Mimi asked innocently. Roger glared and continued to rub his mouth firmly. Mark was too busy suppressing giggles to say anything in defense of his friend, which Roger wasn't too happy about.

"Well next time you see a wet rag on the ground… don't shove it in my mouth," Roger teased lightly. He quickly inspected his mouth and decided that was as good as it was gonna get. Mimi laughed and Roger plopped down next to her on the couch.

"I'm sorry Roger… but that was absolutely priceless," Mark giggled as he wiped his eyes with the corner of his sleeve. Roger rolled his eyes and made a face in Mark's direction. Suddenly the phone rang and Mark jumped up to get it, thinking that maybe it was Becca. Now it was Roger's turn to laugh as Mark scrambled to pick up the phone.

"Hey there Marky," came a deep voice from the phone and Mark rolled his eyes. It was Collins, wanting the key apparently.

"Just a second Collins," Mark replied automatically. This routine was so old that Mark didn't even have to think about what he was doing. He walked over to the coat rack, pathetic as it was, and snatched the key from inside a coat pocket. He then robotically made his way to the fire escape. "Can you still catch old man?" he teased and tossed the key down to the phone booth where his good friend still stood. Collins laughed and caught the flying key with an expert catch.

"You'll have to do better than that you scrawny Albino," Collins called up and walked into the building. Mark shot a glare at Roger who shrugged innocently.

"I'd appreciate it if you would stop telling people I look like an albino," Mark said casually as he once more took his seat next to Mimi.

"Are you telling me to lie to my best friends?" Roger asked incredulously. Mark picked up the same wet rag and held it threateningly at Roger's face. "Get it away!" he shouted and covered his mouth with his hands quickly.

"One more word comes out of your mouth and in goes the rag," Mark added warningly and Roger nodded mutely, hands still over his mouth. At that moment Collins burst in, laughing like a madman… as always.

"Mimi how can you stand to hang out with these two losers?" Collins asked laughingly. Mimi grinned at him and shrugged. Roger was silent while Mark began to concoct a response. "Hey… what's up with the little rock star of the group?" Collins asked while reaching over to check Roger's temperature.

"Oh… you missed it… well pretty much if Roger opens his mouth then I'm going to shove this rag in his mouth," Mark stated simply and shrugged. Collins picked up the rag in question and examined it carefully.

"But Mark… there's fungus on this rag…" Collins pointed out bluntly.

"Exactly," Mark and Mimi chorused together. Collins tossed the rag back to Mark and looked sympathetically at Roger.

"Tough break man…" Collins gave Roger a sad pat on the shoulder. Roger just nodded miserably and shot occasional glares over at Mark.

"Any particular reason you're here?" Mark asked, prompting Collins to explain himself. Collins shrugged, knocked Mark off the edge of the couch, and sat in his previous spot.

"Does a fella need a reason to drop by to see his best buds?" Collins asked, feigning hurt. "I thought we were gonna hang out more now as friends or whatever?" Roger coughed suggestively and Mimi suppressed giggles. Mark grumbled a bit from his new position on the floor while straightening his glasses.

"Sorry Collins, Mark's been too busy pining over his girlfriend these past few weeks," Roger sang out, then realized his mistake. He covered his face as Mark leapt towards him, holding the disgusting rag as a weapon.

"Oh for god's sake Mark!" Mimi shouted and snatched the rag away from him. She then promptly ran over the window and threw the rag out, narrowly missing a passerby walking past the phone booth.

"Mimi, what did you do that for?" Mark cried. "I actually had something over Roger to use as blackmail!" he pouted and threw himself on Mimi's empty spot on the couch.

"Sorry Mark, as much as I enjoy making fun of Roger he _is _still my boyfriend… it's required that I protect him at least every now and then," Mimi promptly explained while walking back to the couch. Roger chuckled and pulled Mimi down onto his lap as there was no more couch left.

"Did you hear that Mark?" he teased and stuck his tongue out tauntingly. Mark just rolled his eyes and continued to pout.

"This is why I come here so often! Free entertainment!" Collins cried, clapping his hands.

"Oh shut up Tom Collins… isn't that the name of a beer?" Mark asked, suddenly curious. "That's been bugging me forever…" Collins laughed, a big booming laugh that was instantly infectious.

"Ah Marky… I love ya man…" Collins laughed and ruffled Mark's hair. "Mind if you guys take me to dinner?" Collins asked casually.

…………….

The next day, Becca was pacing her apartment nervously. The clock read 12:30 p.m. and she was nervous, more nervous than she had ever been her entire life. Her biggest fear was that Mark would try and blow her off, like he seemed to think she did. Becca jumped at the sound of a key scraping the door knob. Then she remembered that Rachel was coming home for lunch and relaxed again. That way she wouldn't be alone anymore, she could have some kind of causal conversation with her big sister and she would temporarily forget about Mark Cohen. Dorky glasses and all.

"Ah… still at it then?" Rachel asked as she entered the apartment. Her dark eyes examined her sister's state and decided that she shouldn't ask if Mark called. That would certainly start a mental break down for her dear little sister. "I thought that we could actually eat here… I don't want to keep spending money feeding you at the Life." Becca's head snapped up and she nodded quietly.

"I really should get a job… I can't stand to think that you're paying for everything…" Rebecca stated. For a moment she stopped pacing and looked more guilty than nervous. Well it was certainly a start.

"Oh don't worry about it… I know that jobs are hard to find around here… you'll find one if you know where to look," Rachel reassured. She draped her small black bag across the couch and hurried off to the kitchen. "Lets see… there's some bread… a can of tuna… what luck!" Rachel cried and began to work on removing the top of the can.

"Tuna sounds great," Becca agreed distractedly. Rachel sighed and struggled with the last of the lid of the tuna can. Her sister hated tuna. Maybe it was time that she tried to convince her sister that either, Mark was going to call her and to just give him a little time or that he was a little prick that couldn't care less. She decided on the former.

"Look sweetie," Rachel began soothingly. Becca's head snapped at the reference of _sweetie_, but Rachel plunged on anyways. "If he cares at all he will call you… he's probably trying to give _you _some breathing space. I mean… he _is _a guy and probably asked one of his friends that's a girl for advice. I mean, would you like it if he called you immediately?" Rachel explained carefully, hoping this wouldn't set off a little explosive and destructive bomb in her little sister. Becca seemed to struggle with her emotions before finally letting out a defeated sigh.

"I guess you're right… I would find it odd if he called me right when he got home," Becca reasoned and seated herself at the table. Rachel inwardly cheered at her success as she noticed that Rebecca seemed less concerned. Rachel grinned as she slapped some tuna on the cheap bread that they had for lunch. Somehow she knew that Mark would call her sister, and she would be so glad if he did. Rachel picked her way through the catastrophe of a kitchen over to the table and plopped down the plates of tuna sandwiches. Becca took a bite and immediately wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Ew… oh my god… is this tuna?" she exclaimed while dropping her sandwich back on the plate. Rachel giggled at her sister's expression.

"Well, you said it was fine sister dearest," she countered. Becca paused for a moment as if considering, and then began to sadly pick her sandwich up again. She really didn't have a choice. Rachel laughed but still cast a look over at the phone. The sooner Mark called, the better.

………………

Everyone was at the loft the next afternoon. Even Joann had made it so that she could witness the monumental triumph going on in Roger and Mark's home. Mark was going to call Rebecca back, the first time he actually called a girl for a date since before Maureen. Maureen was always the one that called to set the big date. Angel put a reassuring hand on Mark's shoulder. Mark could never express with words how comforting that simple gesture had been, or how grateful he was for it. He could also feel Roger's support through body language, though Roger would never actually use his words where everyone could hear him. Taking a deep breath, Mark picked up the phone and tried to ignore the stares of everyone else in the living room. Slowly he dialed the number, 555-2256. He could hear every click that the phone made in dialing these numbers and felt his pulse skyrocket when the phone began to ring. One ring, two rings, three rings, four…

"_Oh god… oh god she's not home! I won't be able to get the courage a second time!" _Mark thought desperately and by the sixth ring he came close to just hanging up. Until he heard such a beautiful voice on the other end of the phone and he kept his phone firmly against his ear.

"Hello?" a female voice answered. It had to be Rebecca… it just had to.

"Hi! Is Rebecca there?" Mark asked, trying to keep his voice pitch even. It would be awful if he broke out of nervousness on the phone.

"Mark? Is that you? I mean… this is Rebecca speaking," Becca's eager voice sent Mark into a sudden sense of peace.

"Hey Rebecca… just calling you," Mark stuttered and paused. He was at a loss as to why exactly he was calling Rebecca. Rebecca giggled a bit over the phone and Mark reddened. Roger chuckled a little but was silenced by a slap from both Mimi and Joann.

"Well… thanks for just calling," Becca teased. Mark laughed as well, finding the situation funny in an awkward sort of way.

"Do you want to come to the Life with me tomorrow night… some friends of mine are going too so if you don't mind a self-centered diva, a loud mouth teacher, a brooding rock star, or any other numerous screw ups… would you like to come?" Mark finally asked. Becca could distinctly hear Roger shouting something about a "scrawny little Jewish boy that can't hold his liquor".

"Sure, I'd love to come with you," Becca immediately responded, just happy that Mark was calling her. She could literally feel the relief radiating through the phone on Mark's end.

"Great! I can go to your place or we can meet…" Mark trailed off expectantly. Becca giggled again before responding.

"I'll just meet you guys there at about eight," she reassured. Mark quickly agreed and both hung up.

"Yeah! Marky boy has a date!" Collins shouted loudly. He knew that she had agreed when he saw that Mark was flushed instead of deathly pale.

"Yeah, congrats," Maureen snapped. Everyone jumped in surprise at the ice in her tone. Joann was the first to confront the diva.

"Aren't you happy for Mark?" Joann asked, a slight warning in her voice. Maureen just shrugged dramatically and rolled her eyes.

"Sure… if you call feeling cheated and betrayed happy!" she cried exaggeratedly. Mark stiffened and looked at his ex in surprise.

"Maureen… in case you haven't forgotten… you left me for another woman," Mark pointed out. He quickly turned to Joann though upon realizing a possible mistake. "No offense to Joann who's a great woman," he reprimanded. Joann just smiled at him reassuringly.

"That's different Mark!" Maureen protested loudly, tears seeming to form. Everyone gaped at Maureen… totally in shock.

"Excuse me Maureen," Roger snapped, ignoring Mimi's silent signals. "But I think that you don't exactly have control over Mark anymore which means he can date someone if he wants to!" Maureen's eyes blazed and everyone foresaw a heated argument coming on.

"He's my boyfriend Roger! He can't date other women!" she shouted. Now it was Joann's turn to flare up.

"Excuse me Maureen… I thought that you were dating _me!_" Joann cried. Maureen immediately realized her mistake but everyone knew she wouldn't step down.

"I am pookie…" Maureen cooed but Joann just glared. There was a tense silence until Mark finally spoke up.

"I think you're just mad because I'm not under your thumb anymore," Mark muttered softly. Maureen's head snapped towards him.

"Now you know that's insane," Maureen replied haughtily.

"No it's not Maureen!" Mark shouted and everyone jumped. Mark rarely shouted at someone… but when he did it wasn't pretty. "You know perfectly well that if I get a girlfriend it means that I'm over you… and you can't _stand _that!" Maureen gaped, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"You know what, I don't have to put up with this crap," Maureen weakly protested. She rose from the couch and left the loft angrily. Everyone stared after her in silence.

"Good luck Joann," Collins said grimly, patting Joann on the shoulder comfortingly. There was another silence before someone finally spoke up.

"That… was really screwed up," Roger commented from his perch on top of the couch next to Mimi.

**A/N: I think this one was a bit longer than the others… anyway, please review and tell me what you think. **


	5. Peaceful Mornings Interrupted

**A/N: I'm back with a new chapter! I hope the Maureen bit wasn't too much or unrealistic or anything… I worry about these things. Anyway, read the next chapter and make sure to let me know what you think! **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Rent… I do own a copy of the CD though…**

The next morning Mark woke as though oblivious to his phone conversation the other night. He got out of bed, went over to the pathetic coffee maker, poured some low grade coffee beans into the machine, and flopped down on the couch in silence. Mark stared at the wall for what seemed an eternity and for a moment the only sounds that could be heard was the faint drip of coffee being made and the occasional car or bike passing outside making a faint whooshing sound. A gentle breeze from the open window tickled Mark's face and the cool floor felt so nice against his bare feet. In those moments it felt as though was at peace with the world and that the world was at peace with him.Then Roger woke up.

"Marky, my man!" he hollered, lunging at poor disgruntled Mark. Roger quickly had Mark pinned and was furiously rubbing his head, making it very uncomfortable for the victim. "It's a beautiful morning so why are you just sitting here like a lump on the couch!" he sang out, finally releasing poor Mark. Mark groaned and tried in vain to flatten his mussed hair.

"I _was _enjoying it," Mark muttered indignantly. "Then _you _woke up and the whole experience was totally and completely ruined. Dead. Catastrophically destroyed!" Mark called to the kitchen area laughingly. Roger made a snorting noise that he often made when trying to hold back laughter.

"So hearing the sweet voice of your best friend in the morning totally ruins your day?" Roger asked, mocking hurt. Mark paused for a moment as though thinking things over.

"Yeah, pretty much Rog," he responded nonchalantly. Roger once more pounced on the smaller man and pretended as though he was beating up poor Mark. The two men laughed as if they were kids, wrestling and punching each other until their noses bled. How cute. Finally the two pulled apart, rather bruised and scratched.

"I forgot you're gonna need your face in tact for your big date tonight," Roger laughed, catching his breath. Mark paled slightly.

"I almost forgot about that! Oh my god!" Mark exclaimed frantically. Roger raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Really? I would have thought that impossible since that was all you freaking gabbled on last night about," Roger laughed, narrowly dodging a pillow.

"Is gabbled even a word?" Mark asked tauntingly, sprinting up off the couch to make a run to the coffee maker. Roger snorted again before responding.

"You bet it is… it means to speak or say something rapidly and incoherently," Roger replied smugly. Suddenly, as a grin crossed his face he continued on. "No wait… that wouldn't quite fit the scenario… the other definition would though. To make the high throaty sounds that geese and some other birds make." Mark held his cup of coffee threateningly at Roger but couldn't contain his laughter.

"You're an ass Roger," he laughed as he poured Roger a cup of coffee as well. Roger just shrugged calmly on the couch.

"Hey, it's my job. Get used to it." Mark grinned at him and handed him his coffee. On his way to the couch however Mark noticed the window where Mimi had offered to have breakfast with Roger not too long ago. Christmas morning he thought it was.

"You know… things really changed once Mimi and Angel showed up," Mark commented, finally sobering up. Roger looked up at him, also no longer grinning. He nodded solemnly and gazed out the same window that Mark had noticed.

"I think I might owe my life to Mimi… you know," Roger muttered quietly, still staring out that window. "I only hope that I can find a way to repay her." Mark smiled a little and gave Roger a nice pat on the shoulder.

"Well I for one never thought you would leave this place again… what with the way you were acting," Mark said, teasing missing from his voice. Roger nodded in silence, which continued for endless minutes. Finally Roger broke the silence.

"Well let's not sit here like a bunch of depressed stoners and do something fun," Roger finally announced, clapping Mark on the shoulder roughly. Mark whined and clutched his now throbbing shoulder, but got up with Roger to go out of the Loft on a walk or something. He would need some time to relax before tonight.

…………………..

"I have no idea what to wear!" Becca screamed at about… five-thirty in the morning. Rachel groaned and tried to block out her sister's gabbling. She had a late shift tonight and she really wanted to get plenty sleep before then.

"Just pick something that looks hot on you!" she bellowed back at her sister and closed her eyes again. Rachel had just reached that point of rest where she was almost asleep but still aware of her surroundings… and to tell you the truth she thought it was pretty peaceful. She could only just distinctly hear the shuffles and loud clunks from her sister's room and that was good. But then there was more shrieking only it was coming from her doorway.

"That didn't help Rachel!" Rebecca screamed and tapped her foot against the carpet. Rachel moaned and tried to block out the light coming from the doorway.

"Well what am I supposed to say Becca?" Rachel protested softly. There was a silence and Rachel thought for a moment that maybe Rebecca had left her alone for once. It turned out that she was terribly… horribly wrong. Out of nowhere Rachel felt something big and heavy fall right on her and nearly knocked her breath out.

"You're supposed to say something that will actually _help_," Becca hissed dangerously in her sister's ear. Rachel groaned and then sighed in defeat.

"Remind me to give Mark a nice kick in the…" Rachel paused at the look her sister was giving her and decided to change her thoughts, "Shins when I see him." Becca smiled smugly and yanked her sister out of bed in triumph.

………………

Joann woke up in the small apartment that she and Maureen shared and sighed sadly. Maureen hadn't been home all night and she was getting worried. Last night had been a nightmare for both of them and she was a little worried that Maureen had done something drastic. It was at this point that Joann began to have a conversation/argument with herself. **(A/N: The italics are one part of her mind while the bold is the other)**

_Maureen wouldn't do anything too drastic… would she?_

**Oh… you mean like cheating on you?**

_Like that… Maureen wouldn't do that to ME…_

**You heard her talking to Mark last night didn't you?**

_It's like Mark said… she's just a little upset that Mark has a date tonight… it's natural!_

**Well if Maureen is that upset about a date… maybe she isn't really into women.**

_What would make you say that? She loves me._

**Has she ever said that to you? **

_Of course she has!_

**I mean when she _didn't _want something expensive from you. **

_Well there had to be a time when she said she loved me and meant it!_

**Sure there was… just tell yourself that while you sit here and wonder where she has been all night long. **

_Oh shut up you pessimistic person._

**Remember that I'm still you. **

_Damn. _

**I would still keep a closer eye on Maureen… **

_But Mark wouldn't do that to me!_

**I never said that _Mark _would… but any other guy might. **

_All right, this conversation is over. _

Joann finally kicked the covers off her bed and ambled over to the kitchen to make some coffee. She was going to call in sick today from work so that she could look for Maureen. Not only was she concerned that Maureen had done something incredibly stupid… she was worried that she might have been beaten up or killed for said stupid act. Three cups of coffee later (and a small chocolate donut) Joann picked up the phone and spoke in a quiet raspy voice.

"Hello Mr. Smith. Listen I don't think I can make it to work today. Thanks for understanding," Joann acted sick flawlessly. She quickly hung up the phone again and went to go change into some comfortable clothes. It was going to be a _long _day.

………………..

"So what do you plan on wearing tonight?" Roger asked casually as he and Mark finally headed back to the loft after a refreshing walk. Mark shrugged but he looked like it meant more to him than he was letting on.

"What I always wear I guess," Mark replied nonchalantly. Roger choked on something (which is odd because there wasn't even anything near his mouth… hmm…) and quickly made pretend retching noises. Mark sighed and kept on walking while Roger swayed and staggered behind him clutching his throat comically.

"No… not… ack!" Roger cried dramatically. Mark turned to look at him and frowned.

"Roger your face looks a little blue… maybe you should loosen your hold on your throat a little," Mark said worriedly. Roger quickly did so and his face immediately returned to its normal color.

"Maureen always did say that I went a little too overboard with my acting," Roger muttered. Mark laughed and had to remove his glasses from fear that they would fall off.

"If _Maureen _tells you that then you know that you really need to bring down the drama," Mark teased, wiping tears from his eyes. Roger snorted and jogged a little to catch up with Mark.

"So really… what are you going to wear?" Roger asked seriously. Mark looked at him curiously.

"I thought I just told you… or did your strangling episode block that from your memory?" Mark taunted. Roger frowned, not really amused.

"Really Mark… you're like a brother to me… but you have horrible sense in clothes. And if you don't mind me saying… Becca is a pretty decent dresser," Roger commented. Mark scowled for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"You're right… as usual Roger," Mark muttered in defeat. Roger grinned widely and then continued to walk.

"So… because you admitted to it you will receive fashion advice from one Mimi Marquez," Roger stated. No not asked, stated. Mark looked at Roger a little fearfully and luckily Roger noticed it. "Don't worry man, I'll be there too in case Mimi gets a little too girly or something," he reprimanded. Mark looked through narrowed eyes at Roger and then finally nodded.

"Probably a good idea Roger… and," Mark paused a bit looking up at Roger again. "You've got big red hand marks all over your neck." Roger stared blankly before finally realizing what Mark had said. He reached and touched his now red neck, and gave a little yelp.

"Doctor's won't appreciate this," he muttered while Mark shoved his whole hand in his mouth to keep from laughing. And with that, the two overgrown children finally made their way back to the Loft so that the one who goes by Mark can receive fashion advice from the dancer at the Cat Scratch Club.

**A/N: Was it interesting at least? Lol! This is one of those chapters (for me anyway) where it feels like I'm just trying to create a little tension before the big date. Please review:D**


	6. Wild Nights and Fashion Advice

**A/N: Fellow Rentheads… I have returned! Bwuahahahaha! And with the moment that you've been waiting for… or at least I have. The first _real _date between Mark and Becca. Yeah… just read it okay and tell me what you thought at the end. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned RENT that would mean that I would be dead… which I'm obviously not. Sorry Jonathon Larson… rest in peace. **

A phone rang distantly in the humble home of Angel and disturbed her from a nice nap. Collins was off doing… something… he hadn't told her though she was sure it was something productive. Angel's foggy mind instinctively told her pick herself up and trudge to the phone… something that she did with some disgruntled mutters and groans. Angel may seem like the type that's all bright and sunshiny in the morning but really… that was only occasionally. Sometimes she was real grumpy too… I mean it's not like she's perfect.

"Hello?" Angel asked into the receiver, trying to hide the yawn growing in the back of her throat. She immediately brightened however when Angel recognized Mimi's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hi Angel! Listen… I've got Mark down here at my apartment looking for… umm… _fashion advice_," Angel smiled at the hidden message… what Mimi really wanted to say was a complete and total makeover since Mark hadn't the slightest idea of what fashion meant. "And I needed some help… you know I was hoping you would just give me some advice." Obviously Mark was in the room hanging over Mimi's shoulder with Roger probably somewhere behind Mark, also buying Mimi's mock politeness. Guys never seem to pick up on that sort of thing.

"Of course sweetie, I'll be right over," Angel responded, already feeling a lot peppier. Good thing she had fallen asleep with her outfit on otherwise it would take forever to get down to Mimi's.

"Thanks so much Angel!" Mimi cried, obviously wanting Angel to hurry right over.

"Anything for my Mimi," Angel responded and hung up the phone. Instantly Angel was out the door and half way down the street… when fashion was involved she could move at the speed of light.

…………..

"Did you really think that inviting Angel was necessary?" Mark asked, a little nervous at the thought. He thought the world of Angel of course but… well let's just say that their tastes were obviously very different. Mimi just chuckled and forced Mark into a chair.

"Don't worry Mark… Roger is still here and he can be your voice," Mimi said soothingly, shooting a look at the very distracted Roger.

"Huh? Yeah… exactly what Mimi said," Roger nearly shouted, a little embarrassed Mimi had caught him off guard. Mark just rolled his eyes and shot Roger a death glare.

"Thanks Roger… I'm _so _comforted," Mark drawled, drawing out the word _so. _Roger just smiled hesitantly… trying to duck the instant death glares that Mark was sending his direction. Suddenly a door burst open and in rushed… Angel? Mimi was even a little startled, looking wildly around and then gaping back at Angel.

"I just got off the phone with you about five minutes ago!" Mimi cried, a little frightened at her dear friend's appearance. Roger just stared expressionlessly so no one could tell if he was surprised or not and Mark gaped as Mimi had. Angel just shrugged off Mimi's exclamation and explained.

"Well honey… remember you wanted me for _fashion _advice. Now between that and drumming I can do absolutely anything I want," Angel explained, obviously trying to enlighten the shocked group in front of her. Everyone nodded like it made sense… except for Mark who kinda furrowed his eyebrows as if he was trying to remember something.

"But you live about twenty blocks from here… at least!" Mark exclaimed after doing the long and complicated math. Angel just grinned which was answer enough.

"Let's get started Mark… oh is this what you were planning on wearing tonight? It looks sweet on you dear but you can't just look _sweet _on a first date," Angel explained, frowning. Mimi just grinned and began to rub her hands together.

"I hear you girl! Lead the way!" Mimi cried and both Angel and her began to advance slowly on Mark. Roger watched in a kind of fascinated horror and wondered if this wasn't a good idea after all.

…………..

"Maureen!" Joanne called, looking down a dark alleyway. No sign… not even a flicker of movement. A man next to her though did stop and look curiously.

"Are you looking for a young woman… probably in her twenties with dark hair and leather pants?" the man asked hopefully. Joanne spun around wildly to look at the man.

"Yes! Have you seen her?" Joann cried ecstatically. The man, who appeared to be about forty or so with wrinkles forming at the corners of his dark eyes, smiled. He wore a small cap over slightly tousled dark hair that had little hints of gray forming already. Joanne got a distinct feeling that this man had seen a lot of things in his lifetime… probably most not being good things. For now though, the man smiled in obvious relief and beckoned Joanne to follow him.

"Yes! Yes! Come with me, are you a friend of hers?" the man asked as he took off at a brisk pace, stride lengthening with each step. Joanne yelped and jogged to catch up before falling into stride with the younger man.

"Well… actually I'm her girlfriend," Joanne responded. The man seemed to falter for a moment, looking at Joanne in surprise.

"You mean… the girl that's currently passed out in my shop is tied down with a commitment?" he asked in awe, obviously not believing Joanne. Joanne must have gotten really pale for the man changed the subject. "Well… I have your girlfriend… completely whole and unscathed," he assured, bringing some color back to Joanne's cheeks.

"I can only imagine what she put you through… I'm so sorry," Joanne amended, hoping that Joann hadn't been too terrible. For both the sake of the nice man next to her and for Joanne's own sake. The man just laughed nervously and picked up his pace again.

"My name is Joe by the way," he introduced, holding out a hand distractedly. Joanne took it even though she was as equally distracted.

"Joanne," she replied, smiling a little. The man returned the smile and then stopped at what looked like a small bar.

"Come with me… she's behind the counter," Joe explained. Joanne swallowed a grunt of annoyance and followed Joe behind the bar counter. And behind that counter there was an unconscious Maureen… lipstick smeared and hair mussed. Joanne forced back her suspicions for a moment and turned back to Joe.

"Thank you so much… and I'm so sorry for the trouble she's caused," Joanne thanked, hoping the man wasn't angry. "Is there anything I can do to repay you?" Joanne asked hopefully… she desperately wanted to do something in return for Joe.

"Just get this one home with a glass of water and Tylenol," the man responded. Then as an afterthought added, "And an empty trash can… she might be sick all day." Joanne grimaced and stared down at her girlfriend.

"Are you sure you don't want anything else because…" Joanne was cut off by the man's booming laughter.

"You worry too much Joanne… just find a way to get her home and I'll be happy," Joe pleaded, wiping a few tears out of his face. Joanne just smiled but then frowned once more. How was she supposed to get the sleeping Maureen to their apartment? Joanne was just about to pose this question when she saw a familiar face pace by the bar window.

"Just a minute please!" Joanne called and sprinted after the familiar face. "Collins! Collins am I ever glad to see you!" Joanne called, waving for Collins to stop for a minute. Collins turned to look and then split into a grin.

"Joanne girl, how you doing?" Collins asked, looking amused at the lawyer's panicked state.

"Come with me… are you busy? Oh well… listen Maureen is passed out in this bar and I need some help getting her home!" Joanne explained in one breath. Collins's face sobered instantly and he rushed after Joanne.

"What were you two doing last night?" Collins asked. Joanne turned around in midrun and gave Collins a look. Collins groaned, realizing that Maureen had been there all night alone. "Jesus!"

…………

"Umm…" Mark began, looking himself over nearly three hours later. He had been fluffed and primped within an inch of his life and he probably tried on a hundred different outfits… well if they all actually had a hundred outfits that is. Angel had almost put make-up on him… but luckily Mimi intervened before any serious consideration could be made on the subject.

"Well… um what?" Mimi prodded while Angel smiled brightly. Mark turned around a few times and considered his next words… they had to be careful and polite if this was going to work.

"I look… the same," he stated bluntly. Same tan coat… same old scarf (although Angel DID make a few touchups on it… it looked almost new!)… wait, were those dress pants? "And I don't know if dress pants are really called for… we're going to the Life," Mark pointed out. Angel's eyes glittered and she turned to Mimi excitedly.

"I think we may have rubbed off on him… he's absolutely right! Dress pants would be terrible!" Angel smirked, glancing over at the dumbfounded Mark. Mimi squealed and looked as if she had just won an Academy Award or something.

"One man down! Now we just need to concentrate our efforts on our own boyfriends," Mimi cackled, looking meaningfully over at Roger.

"Is this Roger's shirt?" Mark asked curiously, examining the shirt that he had on underneath. "It's nice… I didn't know Roger owned nice clothes," Mark teased and received a knock on the ears from a certain rock star.

"I told my mom that magenta wouldn't match on ME," Roger stated, grinning craftily at Mark. Mark glanced down at the shirt and shrugged.

"What can I say… the dark color stands out on me… and it's NOT magenta… at least I don't think it is…" Mark muttered. Angel nodded in agreement distractedly.

"It's more red than a shade of pink," she thought out loud. Mimi nodded and shot a scalding look at Roger, who jumped in surprise and raced off to another room.

"Yeah you better get some cream for those burns!" Mimi called after her boyfriend. (Sorry I couldn't resist.)

………….

"Collins… you go ahead with the others… just tell them that Maureen and I couldn't make it," Joanne repeated for what felt like the millionth time. Collins almost protested before Joanne shot him an exasperated look.

"All right fine… you handle sleeping beauty then," Collins relented… finally. Joanne smiled approvingly and patted Collins on the shoulder.

"I knew you would understand," she said soothingly. Collins shrugged and began to head out the door.

"What should I tell them?" Collins asked before leaving.

"The truth," Joanne answered confidently. Collins smiled, glad that he wasn't going to have to lie on top of abandoning Joanne to a evening of misery.

"Sure thing," Collins responded, showing that he had understood what Joanne said. With that Collins left the apartment with a loud bang of the door.

"What was that?" a bleary voice called from the bedroom. Joanne grimaced… _she _was awake. Ever since the New Year's party a few weeks ago Maureen's voice seemed to be sounding increasingly annoying.

"Collins just left!" Joanne responded upon entering the doorway. Maureen's eyes seemed to focus, as though she was having trouble taking in Joanne's face from where she was. Once she recognized Joanne however her face darkened into a scowl.

"Oh… it's you," she said moodily, throwing the covers over her head. Joanne sighed and decided to do something she should have done a _long _time ago. She walked over, threw the sheets completely off the bed, and started to scold the hungover drama queen.

"Maureen Johnson, you need to get over yourself and I mean NOW! I don't care if you think I'm being mean or if it's not fair! Mark is going on his first date since you Maureen and I expect you to support him!" Joanne started but Maureen must have thought she had finished.

"Pookie…" she began sweetly but Joanne cut her off instantly.

"Don't you pookie me Maureen! How do you think I felt when you reacted like that when Mark got the date? I felt hurt and betrayed and used!" Joanne shouted, feeling tears threaten her eyes. "Was I just something that you could use to have a little fun Maureen?" she choked out and ignored that shamed look on her girlfriend's face.

"Joanne… I didn't think…" Maureen mumbled, trying to comprehend what Joanne had told her. "You think I just used you baby?" she asked, dumbfounded. Joanne nodded her head angrily while avoiding Maureen's eyes.

"What am I suppose to think Mo?" she asked fearfully. "You hear that Mark has a date and then you start calling him your boyfriend! What would _you_ think?" Joanne snapped. Maureen remained silent which only fueled Joanne's anger. "And what exactly were you doing partying all night with strangers? Maureen do you realize what could have happened and how worried and scared I was?" Joanne barked, growing red in the face. Finally Maureen spoke up.

"Pookie, I was just a little upset about the things Mark said and I needed to get away! If it makes you feel better… nothing happened," Maureen explained. Yet somehow the look on Maureen's face didn't convince Joanne that her words were truthful. Maureen resembled a dog that knew it did something wrong and was awaiting a harsh punishment.

"Oh my god," Joanne whispered. "You… I can't believe… this can't be happening," Joanne moaned. Mark had warned her about this and yet Joanne had stubbornly denied it. "I'll see you later Maureen." And with that Joanne strode out the door.

………………….

"Come on Mark or we'll be late!" Roger called while hurriedly ushering Mimi out the door. Roger hesitated and when he didn't hear heavy footsteps rushing towards the door he decided to change his tactics.

"I swear you pansy if you run a comb through your hair one more time…" Roger began but was quickly cut off by angry huffs from Mark.

"All right, all right Mr. Pushy!" Mark exclaimed and he began to rush down the steps to where Mimi was waiting for the two of them.

"Finally!" she cried exasperatedly and the trio began to jog down to where the Life was. None of them said a word but instead of the silence being awkward it was comfortable. It allowed Mark to mentally prepare himself and even give himself coaching on what to say around Becca. Within a few minutes the Life Café was looming ahead, making Mark's stomach lurch.

"Excuse me while I barf my guts," Mark muttered, causing both Roger and Mimi to put steadying hands on his shoulders. Mark hardly even noticed this but was grateful for the extra support. Standing outside they all could just see Angel, Collins, and what appeared to be Joanne. Maureen was missing but this actually made Mark a little more relieved because then he wouldn't have the drama queen attempting to sabotage the date.

"Hi Mark!" Angel called giving him a little wink. Mark smiled in return while Joanne briefly filled the others in on why Maureen wasn't there. She did just tweak the story a bit though.

"She's feeling ill and wasn't able to come," Joanne said simply but everyone knew what that meant. There were murmured apologies and sympathetic looks.

"Well, we should probably get some tables," Collins announced (obviously trying to break the ice), pulling open the door. Mark knew instinctively that he should stand outside the restaurant and wait for Becca to come so he didn't even glance over at the open door. He did notice Roger lean towards Mimi to tell her something and then walk towards where Mark was standing. Raising his eyebrows in a questioning look Mark began to ask what was going on. Roger started talking first however as he didn't want to make a big deal about it.

"Look man, I'm not gonna let you stand out here by yourself so you can send yourself into a panic attack," Roger said, elbowing Mark in the ribs. Mark laughed and held his side mockingly.

"Don't mess the look up, it took Angel and Mimi so long to get it right!" Mark cried dramatically. The two friends laughed and then fell into a peaceful silence.

"Mark!" a feminine voice called, causing Mark to snap his head up and rapidly look around trying to find where the voice came from. Roger sighed and pointed to where a blonde haired girl was power walking so that Mark would stop looking like a complete idiot. Mark got the hint and waved cheerfully over to where Becca was walking. In mere moments she was next to the two men, breathing a little hard, which suggested she had jogged from her house. "Sorry I'm late!" she breathed and looked very flustered. Mark just shrugged the apology off.

"We only just got here a few minutes ago, it's fine," Mark insisted while giving Becca an encouraging smile. Roger's mouth opened and Mark could just sense it would be about whey they had also been running behind. Before the rocker could say anything though Mark had inconspicuously kicked his leg which caused different words to spill from Roger's mouth.

"We were just about to head in," he responded lamely but made Mark open the door. That way Roger could make closing the door on his friend's face look like an accident.

"Oh Mark, are you okay?" Becca cooed in concern, walking over and opening the door again. Mark rubbed his nose and shot Roger a look that was filled with contempt.

"Yeah I'm okay… I don't think anything's broken," Mark laughed, trying to make the situation humorous instead of embarrassing. Becca giggled a bit too and began to head over to where she saw several waving and laughing bohemians. That was the first time that Mark really got a good look at Becca and he was pleasantly surprised. She had on a black top and casual jeans while her eyes had on thick eyeliner and mascara. Mark thought it looked nice on her.

"Come on Mark," Roger prompted while giving his friend a shove forward. Mark sighed and walked after his date and felt himself relaxing. Maybe this date wasn't quiet as scary as it seemed.

**A/N: Okay… maybe the date isn't QUITE here yet but I wanted to write a lot about Maureen and Joanne. Anyway, please review:D **


	7. THE DATE!

**A/N: Okay… NOW it's the date… I swear… :D **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own RENT… I kinda own Becca and… OH! I own Rachel… yeah… :D **

The group had been sitting in awkward silence… for the past five minutes. Mark was slightly repulsed to realize that Roger and Mimi were playing footsie under the table to pass the time but other than that the table was motionless. Mark winced as Becca sipped her Coke nervously and fiddled a bit with an invisible stray hair. Finally Angel, god bless her, broke the ice by making what would be a rude comment… if Angel wasn't the one that had said it that is.

"So what took you so long to hook up with Mark?" Angel asked bluntly, causing the group to break into laughter. It was really more out of relief that people were giggling but that was better than stony silence. Becca snorted in an attempt to keep from choking on her drink and quickly responded.

"The darn number ran away… and Mark was too afraid I think to actually call my number," Becca teased good-naturedly. Mark shrugged and laughed the comment off.

"Yeah well… in Roger's words I'm just a good for nothing Albino with separation anxiety from my camera," Mark retorted, earning a grin from his friend across the table. Becca's eyes widened and her curly head shook with suppressed laughter.

"Is this a pet name for Mark, Roger?" she asked innocently while Collins shook with booming laughter. Roger glared at Mark even though he wasn't the one that said anything while Collins recovered.

"You know what Rebecca… for the LONGEST time I thought those two were lovers!" Collins laughed, wiping tears from his eyes. Roger and Mark's jaws dropped down to the floor when they heard this… obviously it was new to the two friends. This caused Collins to laugh even harder, with everyone joining in. Suddenly an impish smirk crossed Mark's face and he sent a glance over to Roger.

"Well that would explain why Roger has been rubbing my foot with his instead of Mimi's for the past five minutes," Mark commented with as straight a face as he could muster. Roger's eyes narrowed and before Mark could say "Camera! Lights! Action!" he had a little lemon plastered to his eye, courtesy of the Rock Sex God on the other end of the table. Let me tell you… it stings… the lemon I mean.

…………………..

The evening passed better after that little "incident". They all ordered food and before long Collins was fairly intoxicated and Roger and Mimi had made out a grand total of… 20 times. Mark and Becca however were in a heated discussion about… something important to the both of them.

"I'm telling you, the Beatles rock harder than the Rolling Stones," Mark insisted for the twentieth time. Becca just narrowed her eyes and once again opened her mouth to retort.

"Look… for the LAST time Mark… The Beatles are all about writing songs when they are totally high! The Stones are way cooler!" Becca argued dangerously. Mark obviously bristled, he grew up with The Beatles therefore he was going to defend them to the death.

"Oh… and the Stones are clean and sober all the time?" he fired back, pleased to see that Becca seemed to literally boil over at the comment. In fact… she looked really pretty when she was defending the Stones… they would have to have this conversation more often.

"Listen up Cohen… The Beatles are too mellow to make a difference… they're not out there sticking it to the Man like The Stones are!" she argued passionately. Mark sighed as though disappointed and gave Becca a joking disapproving stare.

"Now, now Rebecca! The Rolling Stones are just middle-class boys trying to come across as hardcore and… bohemian!" Mark grinned in triumph as Becca seemed to be at a loss of words for a moment. "Now the Beatles aren't exactly hardcore either but at least they're not pretending to be," Mark said assertively. Becca flailed for a moment before finally coming up with a comeback.

"Well I certainly don't see Paul McCartney on the 'Guys Who Can Pull Off Eyeliner" list like Keith Richards is," she countered cattily.

"Oh so now you're reduced to comparing the _look_ of both bands?" Mark retorted, grinning. Becca smiled primly and smugly before replying.

"You dis the Stones… you get burned," she stated happily. Mark just snorted into his bread and decided to let the argument drop. It really wasn't going anywhere anyway.

"So have you found a job yet?" Mark asked conversationally, but regretted it when he saw the look of annoyance cross Becca's face.

"No… no one seems to be interested in hiring a little dirt poor, good for nothing, blonde girl!" she spat venomously. Mark fell into an awkward silence, at a loss of what to say next.

"You could always be a hooker," he said lightly, receiving a punch in the arm. Becca laughed, obviously getting the humor intended in Mark's joke.

"You're lucky you're just a skinny little dweeb… otherwise I would have no problem pounding you!" Mark grinned cheekily at her and adjusted his glasses.

"Duh! Why do you think I keep up with this look if I'm not gonna get a little sympathy out of it!" Mark said defensively. Becca laughed again and turned back to her meal.

"You know what Cohen… I really haven't laughed like this in a while… thank you," Becca said, suddenly sober. Mark smiled back at her and it seemed that both had reached an understanding.

"I think you need another beer!" he proclaimed, hailing a waiter. Becca giggled and nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll drink to that!" she cried, giggling madly. Mark contained laughter as the waiter hurried off to get another beer… it seemed that they were close to running out that evening due to a large party of bohemians.

……………………………..

That night had been a great night for Mark because he discovered something extraordinary. At first he and Becca came together because they were just attracted to one another, but now Mark had a good taste of what she was like on the inside too. And that made him happier than he had ever been before.

"Walk me home Mark?" Becca suggested. Women seem to have this ability to sense when men were inexperienced daters or not. Mark grinned, relieved that he didn't have to look like an idiot.

"Of course!" he replied, holding out his elbow somewhat mockingly. Becca arched an eyebrow but linked her own arm through his and they walked down the street together. The rest of the gang watched as the pair headed off into the night fondly. Suddenly a revelation seemed to hit Roger full on the head and he turned to Mimi excitedly.

"Mark will be gone for a while right?" he asked knowingly. Mimi looked at him suspiciously but nodded a reluctant yes. "Oh that's too bad… I'll have to sit in my apartment all by myself until he returns." Roger sighed dramatically and Mimi realized what he was hinting at.

"Oh you poor baby… I'll walk you to your loft," she cooed, trying not to laugh. And with that the pair raced off down the street without looking back. Collins just shook his head and laughed in bewilderment.

"Role play works for some couples I guess," Joanne commented, receiving giggles from her companions.

…………………………….

"Well… this is my apartment building," Becca said sadly, staring up at the cold walls. Mark also noted this with some sadness as he was reluctant to part with Becca. Finally she turned back to Mark who had been grasping her hand firmly all the while. "Well… this was a really great night for me Mark… I really appreciate it," she said, looking as if she wanted to say more but stopped herself. Suddenly the same words began to replay in Mark's brain, bringing back the memory of Mimi and Roger's argument before their eventual relationship.

"_No day but today!" _

Mark didn't know what he would do if he was to die on the way home… or if Becca should get ill within the next few days and she didn't know what Mark had wanted to do for so long now. It was then that he noticed Becca staring at him expectantly, probably expecting a "Well, goodnight!" line from him. Instead, Mark did something completely unlike him… something that no one would ever have thought he would have had the courage to do. He kissed Rebecca right there on the deserted street in front of her apartment building. He kissed her and didn't care what people observing would think or what he friends would do if they saw or even if Rebecca would respond to the kiss. Granted, the kiss lasted about two seconds, more of a peck on the lips than anything, but it was something.

Rebecca stared at him in surprise for a moment before smiling encouragingly. Mark smiled back as they stood there for a moment, just comprehending what had happened. Finally the silence was broken by a little murmur from Mark.

"So what's the greatest band again?" he asked softly. Becca grinned at him, biting her lip before finally responding. She leaned in and gave him a similar kiss as the one he had just gave her and said,

"The Rolling Stones."

………………………….

Mark literally danced up the loud metal steps towards the Loft, humming gently out of giddiness. Absentmindedly Mark fiddled for the keys in his coat pocket, found them, and turned the lock. Still in an amazingly good mood and clear mind, Mark swung the door open only to fall back in horror.

"Dear lord Roger!" he shrieked and slammed the door shut again.

**A/N: I know… it was kinda short compared to others but… lo and behold something interesting actually happened! No more gabbling in this chapter… well at least not most of the chapter… hmm… anyways, please review and tell me what you thought!**


	8. A Storm is Brewing dun dun dun!

**A/N: Hi… it has been a while, no? lol! Sorry it took a while… I went through a phase where I hated this story but I'm over it now because I got several reviews wanting to know what happened to this story and that they wanted to know what Roger did. So now I'm back and hopefully everyone who reads still enjoys:D**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own RENT or anything associated with it. I do own Rachel however and I own Becca's name. **

Morning crept over Alphabet City, it might have painted a prettier picture if you didn't have to imagine the tall buildings, the starving homeless people, and the smog coating the air. It also might have been a much more peaceful meeting for Roger and Mimi if they had counted on Mark coming home a little early last night.

………………………

"Good morning Mark," Roger ventured as Mark staggered into the living room. Mark stopped, glared through his square glasses at his roommate, and then continued to the coffee maker. "We're out of coffee," Roger said conversationally. All he received was a grunt of slight recognition from Mark and a frustrated clang of bowls. The door opened and Mimi burst into the loft, looking concerned.

"Roger, baby are you alive in here?" she called loudly. Mark swiveled around to face the door and turned his evil glare to Mimi. "Oh," she said softly, fidgeting.

"Hey Mimi," he said flatly and turned back to his cupboard, rummaging noisily as Mark attempted to find some kind of food. Mimi rolled her eyes and charged over to where Mark was angrily.

"Look Mark, it was an accident and we didn't exactly enjoy you walking in on us," she snapped. "But we did a lot yesterday to help with your date so you should stop being so offended and a little more understanding!" Mark sighed in defeat and raised his hands in surrender.

"You're right… sorry," he said shortly. Roger grinned and relief and clapped his hand over Mark's shoulder.

"So does this mean you're gonna talk to me again?" Roger asked laughingly. Mark grinned and nodded his approval, causing Roger to rub Mark's head roughly. "No one can hate the Sex God!" he crowed happily. Mark rolled his eyes and continued his hopeless search for some kind of breakfast food.

"So speaking of Becca," Mimi said randomly, standing next to Mark. "When are you gonna get together with her again?" Mark froze, flushed a deep red, and just mumbled incoherently. "What was that?" Mimi asked patiently. Mark cleared his throat and looked extremely fascinated with a little dust bunny gathering in the corner of the cupboard.

"I don't think I can face her again," he said painfully. Mimi's eyes bulged out of her head and Roger whirled around in surprise to face his friend.

"What? Why, you guys got on great last night!" Roger cried, shocked beyond all belief. Mark just blushed a little more and looked anywhere but where Mimi and Roger stood.

"I kissed her… I actually made the first move and that terrifies me. I… I can't face her again!" Mark babbled. Mimi and Roger exchanged looks but when Mimi went to open her mouth Roger placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you go get your coat and I'll meet you downstairs, okay Meems," Roger cut in hurriedly. Mimi nodded and headed downstairs without a backward glance, wondering what Roger had up his sleeve. Roger sighed and sat down on the counter where Mark was standing, motionless.

"I don't know why I'm trying to help the guy that was just ignoring me a few minutes ago, but I guess I'm just a nice guy," Roger flashed a grin in hopes to lighten Mark's mood. It didn't work. "Look… I kinda know what you mean with being afraid of someone. I was terrified when I met Mimi and I actually found her… attractive. I thought that April was the only girl for me so meeting someone else that I could see myself with was enough to make me…" Before Roger could finish Mark cut him off.

"Yeah I remember… you were such an ass about that…" Mark laughed, smiling for a moment. Roger smiled sheepishly back but continued to look sternly at his friend.

"And then you gave me some advice… so I'll give you some as well. I'd hate for you to miss out on something that could be really good for you," Roger finished firmly. And with that sentence lingering in the air Roger grabbed his signature jacket and left the loft.

"Words of wisdom copyright of Mark Cohen," Mark chuckled to himself. But Roger's words hit home to him… he had a lot to think about.

……………………

Becca woke to the sound of her sister's loud rants coming from the bathroom, some of which made her smile widely.

"Come home late… doesn't say a word… goes straight to bed… stupid Mark Cohen…" Rachel grumbled through a mouth full of toothpaste. Wow… that takes skill. Becca sighed, remembering the other night, and snuggled deeper into her blankets. Rachel was supposed to take her job searching today but Becca just felt like staying in the soothing warmth for an eternity, just basking in the soft feel of the blankets. Sadly this idea was rudely stripped from her… literally.

"Get up you lazy arse!" Rachel snapped irritably, stripping the sheets from the bed. Becca groaned but pulled herself to her feet.

"Since when are you Scottish?" Becca complained, wanting to nag her sister for a bit. Rachel just rolled her eyes and didn't answer.

"Well I want to know exactly what went on last night Rebecca," Rachel snapped irritably. Becca giggled and danced back into the room, this time with a Rolling Stones t-shirt over her pajama bottoms.

"He kissed me!" she sang out then danced back out of the room. Rachel smiled a little to herself but continued to nag.

"Well I don't really care what Cohen did, you can't wear a t-shirt to a job interview!" Rachel called into the bathroom. "And take a shower!" she added as an afterthought. Much grumbling came from the bathroom but before long the sound of running water could be heard. Rachel laughed and was glad that her sister was happy for a change. She had spent so long just sulking moodily in her room. After about ten minutes Becca shouted for Rachel to grab her whatever she thought was "suitable".

"I don't want to endure your wrath for another moment!" she cried dramatically and shut the door loudly. Rachel once more rolled her eyes but instantly began to search through Rebecca's clothes. After several minutes of digging through the clothes, Rachel found something appropriate.

"Here you go sis!" she called and draped the outfit on the doorknob. There came a few crashes, mumbled curses, and more banging from the bathroom but eventually Becca came out. She wore a black skirt with a plain gray top, complete with a gray jacket.

"It's so… boring!" Becca whined, looking herself over in the mirror. "And most of these are yours!" she added sulkily. Rachel nodded and looked her sister over.

"Well… you look professional and that's what matters! And take some of that eyeliner off for god's sake! You look like a hooker," Rachel snapped. Becca rolled her eyes but willingly complied.

"Better?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow. Rachel nodded in approval and motioned for Becca to go out the door first.

"Tell me all about the date while we walk," Rachel suggested while she closed the door behind them with a fain _snap_.

……………………..

Roger and Mimi walked aimlessly around the park, just making small talk.

"Do you remember Mark's face last night?" Mimi asked with a cackle. Roger let out a bark of laughter and shook his head in remembrance.

"I thought he was gonna die," he chuckled in glee. Mimi chortled as well and she wiped away a few tears from her eyes.

"We really should leave a sign up next time or something Roger," she giggled and draped an arm around his waist. He responded by wrapping his arm around her thin shoulders.

"Aww… but it's so much fun to scare the living hell out of him," Roger whined. Mimi nudged him gently in the ribs but didn't say anything to correct him. She had to admit it was fun, not matter how highly she thought of Mark. Suddenly they spotted a familiar man in the park, staring right at Mimi. Roger's breath quickened as the man continued to stare at her, his long dark hair and sunken eyes making him appear very menacing. Mimi averted her gaze and tried to control herself, she didn't need a fix.

"_I don't need a fix… Roger is my drug now… I don't need a fix… not now,"_ Mimi told herself firmly.

"Come on Roger, let's go somewhere else," she whispered as she felt Roger's hand squeezing forcefully on her shoulder. Roger nodded and helped steer her away from the park, but the gaze of the Man seemed to follow them like a phantom's shadow.

"I don't like him staring at you Meems… it's like he's trying to reel you in," Roger muttered darkly as he gritted his teeth painfully. Mimi squeezed his hand soothingly, letting him know that she wasn't going to be pulled in right now.

"He can't catch me as long as you're here," Mimi whispered reassuringly. Roger pulled her close and they walked in solemn silence the rest of the way to the Loft.

…………………….

"So… how are you and Maureen doing?" Collins asked. He and Angel had invited Joanne to lunch with them… and she had gratefully accepted. She sighed and blew on her tea a little, trying to cool it.

"Well I came home last night… and she literally groveled at my feet. She apologized for everything and begged me not to send her away," Joanne explained quietly. "I of course, forgave her…" Collins sighed and shrugged as if to say 'What can ya do?'.

"She loves you Joanne… I know she does," Angel offered kindly. Joanne looked up at her friend and smiled back in appreciation.

"I don't know sometimes… she changes her mind so quickly…" Joanne muttered and took a gulp of tea. Angel patted her hand softly and gave Joanne a sympathetic look.

"Why do you think I like men?" Angel asked, trying to lighten the mood. Joanne laughed and gave Angel's hand a returning squeeze. Joanne let herself laugh loud and hard, needing to release all her worries _somehow_.

"Thank you Angel… thank you," Joanne finally gasped out, patting Angel's hand once more. The waiter gratefully dumped their massive orders off on the table and hurried off to wait on "more preferable" customers.

…………………..

Benny sighed as he watched Mark finally exit the Loft, leaving the apartment empty. It would have to be now if he needed to do it. The thought of his duty made Benny a tad squeamish but he knew he would lose his job if he let this go on any longer.

"Come on Benny, let's go get this over with," he muttered to himself as he walked casually over to the building. Once inside and up the stairs Benny fiddled with a large ring of keys, obviously trying to find the correct one to open his former roommates door. Once this was accomplished Benny strode inside and instantly began to pack up the items and belongings of the two bohemians. In his mind Benny went back over the procedure that his boss, or better known as his father-in-law, told him just that morning.

"_Pack up their belongings as quickly as you can, some other workers will come by with a van to move all the boxes. From there you can leave a notice and padlock their door. While you're at it nab the girl who lives next to them and a few others things as well, they also didn't have the rent."_

Benny shook his head to clear his thoughts and continued on with the packing. He tried his best to avoid it, but by packing up the apartment he uncovered several long forgotten memories. He found Roger's song book and grinned in spite of himself. That boy was always writing a song or even an idea for a song, even before April…

"That's not exactly a good memory to dwell on Benny my boy," he scolded himself. From there he found some of Mark's old screenplays and laughingly noticed that some of Benny's own scribbled comments were scratched across the paper. Mark must've forgotten to burn the failed attempts at writing. "Damn it's cold in here," he muttered, realizing that it was his own fault that the two men rarely had a heater.

Before long nearly everything was packed and Benny could distinctly hear the sound of a van coming down the street. Suddenly he spotted an old photograph in a corner, and he was in it!

"What the hell?" he asked out loud, reaching for the picture. Why on earth would there still be a picture of him, after everything that Benny had done to his former friends? Upon closer examination he noticed that it was one of the few pictures that contained April, and she looked good too. Probably the one day she wasn't stoned or on a rush. Sadness struck Benny's heart as he realized why exactly the picture was there, for Roger to moon over. He sadly packed it in among the other items and greeted several men that walked through the door, wanting to know where the boxes needed to go.

"Just throw them anywhere gentlemen," Benny said nonchalantly, and headed over to Mimi's apartment. Her things needed to go too.

………………………………..

"He took all our stuff!" Mark cried as everyone filed in after him. There was a collective gasp as everyone looked around the Loft. In a flash Mimi had darted to her own apartment, but soon came back with a strange look on her face.

"Mine too!" she added in a barely controlled voice. Roger placed a protective arm around her as he surveyed his own apartment.

"Eviction notice," Collins read flatly, holding out a thin sheet of paper. Mark shook his head sadly when he realized that Benny was the soul behind all of this.

"What a frickin' sweetheart!" Maureen growled, walking over to where Joanne was standing close to the entrance. Suddenly a cold though entered Mark's mind, closing in around him.

"Where do we go?" he asked fearfully. Roger seemed to also just realize this dilemma for his eyes widened in surprise and sudden uncertainty.

"Well," Joanne began, her lawyer face on. "Technically you are squatters now. Benny can't throw you out unless someone buys the Loft. That should give you enough time to get enough money for the rent." Mark and Roger stood silently (Mimi also looking unexcited at the prospect of being a squatter) when finally Maureen spoke up again.

"There's always Buzzline News," she offered sweetly. "They loved your footage of my protest, remember Marky? You could always take that job offer they gave you." Mark paled at the thought of the job, Buzzline was the ultimate sellout and Mark had worked his entire life to not sink so low as selling out.

"Well… I guess that's the only shot we have…" Mark reasoned softly, looking ready to be sick. Roger's heart went out to his friend and he gave Mark a firm pat on the shoulder.

"I can look for a job in the meantime as well… I would hate for all the pressure to be on you Mark…" he also offered quietly.

"Now those are words I've never heard you say," Mark teased in a strained tone. He really was in a mood for teasing or anything lighthearted. So much for bohemia… welcome Buzzline News.

**A/N: Yeah… weird chapter I know. And I realized much too late that… I screwed up the whole RENT timeline. I swear that it will go as it's supposed to from now on, but I had to make this one a little different for the sake of getting back on track. Again, my sincerest apologies for such a late chapter:D **


	9. Commitment Announcement

**A/N: Okay here's the deal. I've been at a major crossroads with this story which is why I haven't updated. Part of me really doesn't want to continue it and another part just really wants to try it again. If anyone still reads this I would sincerely love it if you would let me know what you would rather me do. If I get enough reviewers that want to see it continued then I will. If I don't then I won't. It's that simple. :D So read and enjoy!!**

**And to get this out there… in no way was Rebecca intended to be a Mary Sue. I share pretty much no characteristics with her (for one, I prefer the Beatles. Another would be that I'm a total Roger junkie… not a Mark one.) so it's not like I tried to base her off myself because I'm in love with Mark and any similarities between her and a Sue were completely unintentional. Reading back on it, yes I could have done so much more to make the character believable. That's what I'm hoping to do now. **

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. Don't own it so don't sue. **

"How'd the Buzzline interview go?" Roger asked as soon as Mark was back in the door, his scarf all undone and his hair wild from the wind. The rocker instantly noticed though that something was horribly wrong and instantly crossed the distance between them. "Mark?" he asked nervously, hoping that Mark hadn't been rejected.

"Interview was fine," Mark replied in a dead tone. Roger could feel the confusion and the hurt radiating from his best friend and frowned.

"Then what's wrong?" he asked, prodding his friend for information. Mark blinked at Roger before heaving a heavy sigh.

"Maureen proposed to Joanne," Mark blurted. His eyes were closed painfully and Roger could practically hear the way Mark's heart thudded in his chest. "She said yes," he whispered.

"Oh man…" Roger said, letting out a whistle. "Are you okay with it?" Mark shook his head wearily and glared up at Roger.

"Does it _look _like I'm alright with it?" he snapped and shrugged Roger's hand off of his shoulder. Roger squared his jaw, not really liking the tone that Mark was taking with him.

"I thought you were over her!" Roger fired back with a hard look. Mark tried to stare down his friend but ended up sagging in defeat.

"I don't know anymore," he whimpered before leaning against a wall in defeat. "I thought I was… I really did!" Mark protested while cradling his camera protectively. Roger sighed and pressed himself up against the same wall next to Mark.

"Then why do you look like Angel just dropped your puppy out a 24 story building?" Roger asked, attempting some humor. Mark didn't even smile.

"I don't know Roger… I don't know why I'm so upset about Maureen when I'm dating Rebecca!" Mark and Rebecca had been on a couple more dates since the first and were starting to get more serious with each other. The two stood in silence a while as they both sifted through their thoughts.

"You can love another while still trying to let go of the past," Roger whispered. Mark looked over at him and smiled sadly.

"I guess we're both living proof of that," Mark agreed and allowed his head to bang painfully on the wall. Roger also smiled and gave Mark a light shove.

"Rebecca called for you like twenty times today, man! She wants to know how the interview went!" Roger exclaimed, eager to change the subject and brighten Mark's mood. The thought that Rebecca called for him _did _seem to brighten Mark's mood for he dashed straight to the phone.

"Hello, Rachel? It's Mark… yeah, haha. Is Rebecca there? Okay, thanks!"

…………………………………………………….

Two nights later, the entire group was smashed painfully in Joanne's apartment. Technically, it was both Joanne's and Maureen's but Joanne was usually the one to pay the rent.

They were all together to hear the news straight from the lovers' mouths.

"I'm sure most of you have already heard because _someone_ can't keep their mouth shut," Maureen began, throwing a dirty look at Mark. Mark tried to act casual about it and hugged Rebecca a little closer to him. Rebecca smiled down at him and gave his hand a squeeze affectionately.

"Okay, Maureen… that's enough," Joanne scolded lightly. "Anyway, we both would like to announce that we'll be having a commitment ceremony later on this year to celebrate our… well, commitment," she explained with a wide smile. Everyone could tell that she was ecstatic that Maureen had taken their relationship so seriously.

The group let out catcalls and cries of encouragement, beaming in happiness for their friends. Almost instantly Angel was up at the front to embrace both women… with Collins attached to her hip of course.

"Congratulations!" Angel squealed as she embraced Joanne and then moved on to Maureen. Collins was next to envelop Joanne in his famous bear hug but he leaned in to whisper something to her.

"You keep an eye on her," he said meaningfully in her ear and gave Joanne a look as he pulled away. Joanne smiled confidently and nodded.

"Don't you worry about it," she replied and Collins smiled to see her look so happy. He then rounded on Maureen so that Mimi could have Joanne for a while.

Soon, all the congratulations were finished and the group seated themselves once more, grinning and laughing. They all could hardly believe how well things had been going lately… it was like something from a dream. Ever since Christmas…

"Let's pour another round!" Roger declared. Collins was way ahead of them though and came out of the small kitchen with a bottle of champagne ready.

"Champagne?" he asked in a suave voice and began to pour some in paper cups. Mimi grinned sly and cocked an eyebrow mischievously.

"Well would you look at that… we're pulling out the fancy shit!" she cackled but accepted a cup anyway. Roger tipped his own cup against hers before taking a great big swig from it.

"To Joanne and Maureen!" Angel hollered and everyone quickly seconded the toast, drinking even more eagerly to it. Joanne smiled appreciatively at her friends while Maureen giggled insanely and leaned against her new life partner, an arm draped around her waist.

"We couldn't be happier!" the drama queen announced and gave Joanne a quick kiss on the lips, grinning insanely.

Mark faltered for a moment before cheering with the rest. It still stung… there was nothing he could do about that. Rebecca seemed to notice and tried her best to act like she didn't, doubling her applause and winking a heavily lined eye at Joanne.

Back in the front, Joanne's mocha skin was faintly pink from the public display of affection but beamed all the same. What Maureen said was true… she simply couldn't be happier.

"Do you have a date picked?" Roger asked while motioning for Collins (the official beer dispenser) to pour him another cup.

"We were hoping for next month actually," Joanne explained only to be hailed by more rowdy displays of affection from her friends.

"That's so great," Mimi sighed and squeezed Roger's hand lovingly. Roger smiled down at her warily and turned his attention back to the front.

"We'll all be sure to be there…" Mark promised and sent meaningful looks at the rest. "Won't we?" Everyone agreed wholeheartedly and yet again clinked cups together. Rebecca seemed cheered by Mark's sudden good mood and allowed him to pull her closer to his body. So delighted was she by this she leaned in further and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, savoring the feeling. Mark was just a little confused about the sudden affection but took it all the same, loving it just as much as Rebecca.

Boy he loved requited love.

"Do we have to get you guys gifts?" Mimi wondered while she pulled away from Roger to take another chug of beer. Joanne and Maureen exchanged a bewildered look.

"Umm… I have no idea," Joanne answered truthfully.

"You could if you wanted to though," Maureen interjected, inserting a hint in her words. Joanne rolled her eyes but didn't retract Maureen's statement. She was too high off the beer and the euphoric feeling of Maureen finally coming around.

"We have something else to celebrate too," Roger broke in, surprising those. "Not to cut into Maureen and Joanne's time but Mark got the job at Buzzline!" he announced, looking pointedly at Mark. The filmmaker heard his name shouted and was forced to break off Rebecca's kiss (albeit, rather sadly) and try to figure out what was just said about him. It didn't take long to find out.

"That's great Mark!" Mimi approved, beaming at him. "I know you hate that job but now we can stick it to Benny the Bastard the old fashioned way!" Mark grinned feebly and shrugged.

"It was mostly thanks to Joanne," he acknowledged, nodding towards the happy newly engaged woman. Joanne shrugged.

"I think you would have gotten the job with or without me. Alexi was completely in love with your footage," Joanne explained but smiled under the praise anyhow.

"Here's to a New Year," Collins started with his cup raised. "A year filled with new opportunity and love." And again the bohemian friends toasted to Collins's speech and downed their cups filled with amber liquid.

Nothing could stifle their hope.

**A/N: Okay, really short I know… especially for abandoning this story for about a year. Just any sort of feedback would be much appreciated. :D Thanks!! **


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